Anyone had a new hip installed, or know any one first hand that had this done? I am probably up for a replacement in a few years! P.S. i know this question my be a little out their, hey ya just never know!! Thanks for any info
I work with a fellow that had a double hip replacement three years ago (he was 44 then). He had one done and then 2 months later did the other. Lots of P/T. He missed 5 months of work. When cold weather comes through he says his hips hurt, but he gets around pretty good now. He's a big ole boy 5'-11" 350- 375lbs
Don't know anyone personally but my father had a knee replaced and when i was in PT for my knee surgery saw people with their knee(s) replaced and I guess the PT can take quite a while. But from talking to them I have found that pushing your rehab till it hurts like hell and doing what your therapist wants you to do at home really speeds things along. I can only imagine the hip will do the same.
On a side note, before you go in for it check around for doctors that do LOTS of those. If your insurance covers them take that one. I waited quite a while to get my knee done but my surgen was the top ranked outside of boston. My scars are alot smaller than the ones I saw from other doctors.
Thanks for the storys fellas! I've been checkin around for a little bit. I was in friday for some x-rays and i think the time is coming soon.
I had a hip replacement at the ripe old age of 24 due to a motorcycle wreck. Long story short, I had the wreck at around 10pm, surgery around 6am the following day. I came to in my room with my doctor at my bedside around 2-3pm the same day. I inquired about rehab, he replied, "you will not need it if you don't lay around and let your body forget to walk. If you do you'll have to learn to walk all over again." I listened to him very closely, and did exactly that. When I returned to the doctor's office for my 4 week check up, I walked in under my own power, no wheelchair, no crutches, no walking cane. I did have a limp, but I was walking on my own. I sat in the waiting room while waiting for my appt. and chatted with other hip replacment receipeints. I was the only one that took his advice to heart and followed it to a "T". I guess what i'm trying to say is, no matter how bad it hurts, aches, nags you just keep pushing on. There were some days I wanted a stick to bite on, because it hurt like nothing i'd ever experienced before. Don't lay around and let your body get stiff.
Hillbilly
No info about hips, but a friend of Mine has had 7 knee replacements, 3 on one side 4 on the other. He prefers to have them done at a good teaching hospital, claims they have the lowest infection rate. Doing all the excersizes the way You are supposed to is important, as others said.
My mom had a shoulder done at age 76. She kept doing Her excersizes and got continued improvement after the Dr. thought it was as good as it would get.
My mom had both of hers done at the same time about 15 years ago. Last month she blew out the plastic liner in one of them, which is supposed to last...yep, 15 years or so. She could still walk on it, it was a little painful she says but the worst part was that it squeaked, metal on metal. Funny.
Anyway, PT is the hardest part of it. It'd be nice to be 24 and a fast healer, and able bodied enough to move around a lot. PT is for most people in this situation, since most people receiving hip replacements are no longer in their spry 20s! If you stay the course in PT and make every session, you'll be out of there in 2-3 weeks in most cases.
Hi Ben,
I had my left hip replaced five years ago. I have had no problems whatsoever. I was 59 at the time, and my hip just wore out. I had lots of pain and could barely walk, with extremely limited range of leg motion. Following surgery, they have you walking on your new hip the day after surgery. I was off work for three weeks, then returned to work (a desk job) using crutches the first week, then on to a cane for another couple of weeks. The PT was no big deal for me. At first, after the surgery, you won't be able to bend your leg so you will need someone to put your shoes on and stuff (you'll even need a special seat to use the toilet).
You also have to watch out for infections of the new hip for the rest of your life. This means you have to take special antibiotics when you go to the dentist or have any other similar work done.
My right hip is just about worn out and I have to see a Dr. later this month to see if it's time to pop that one too. I can only walk about a quarter mile and the pain goes thru the roof. And right now I have a job and INSURANCE so I'm pushing for it now while I'm working.
All in all, I would consider my hip replacement a success and I will do it again. They are only supposed to last 10 to 15 years, though, so in 2013, I may need repairs.
Good luck to you and if I think of more info, I'll post it.
Like my neighbor said about me after surger, "First I saw him walking by on crutches. Next I saw him walking by using a walker. Then I saw him walking by with a cane. Next day I saw him up on a ladder painting his house." Take care and you will heal fast.
Bob G.
Something important I forgot to mention: my doctor said no more running and no more jumping, so sports may be out of the question for you. I can still climb iron (part of my job) so I'm O.K. there. I don't run on job sites and I don't mess with wimmins that may have a husband who would chase me so that doesn't matter to me.
But I used to have to jump when the ladder didn't quite reach - but not anymore.
Bob G.
Thank you all for the replies!! I had a very serious motocross accident in 2000 that left me with two broken arms and a dislocated hip. The arms healed up just fine but the hip has been going down hill ever since, slowly wearing out. My current age is 32 and its hard to find a doctor that would encourage me to go ahead with this surgery because of my age ,they say i would wear the replacement out. You guys talked about the pain, I HEAR YA!!!! Cant wait to hear what the doctor has to say, he was going to go over the x-rays with the other doctors and see what my next move is. I still work 5 days a week and OT if possible so i think He will tell me to keep on going with my stock equipment. Once again thank you all for the replies!
Take Care, Ben
Get a second opinion. Getting a new hip than having it wear out in ten years may give you 6-8 years of a hell of alot less pain when your hip now could bother you for the rest of your life. Thats the way I look at it. If its bad enough they will replace it no matter what your age. I was 19 when I blew out my knee. Tore the acl off the bone and mcl and lcl almost completely, destroyed my lateral and medial miniscus and tore some cartilidge and had severe bone brusing in my tibia. The doc said had I torn it up anymore I would of been looking at a replacement.
Your in luck I had my done at 28, I am 42 now, I had a condition called AVN (Avascular Necrosis) believe it or not they told me it was from too much booze, I still find that hard to believe although I have done my fair share of booze, slowed down thru the years, but they ran the tests and confirmed somehow. I only missed 14 days of work, keep in mind I was running 60 men so I ran job on crutches and I had a scooter to drive around the plant. My hip was a Biomet Brand and I have to think about what hip it was it took so well. I had to throw in the towel because my femur head (hip bone was rotted) so I was destroying all my other good joints trying not to favor bad hip.
My sister had it done about 25 years ago. She was born with a defective hip and had many operations on it while growing up. I remember her spending a long hot summer in a full body cast, only her arms and head were able to move. My father built a special rack that we would her lean into and then we tipped her back, lifted her up, and slid her into the van. Very humiliating for her. The technology and know-how wasn't there at the time, and even then she had to wait on the surgeryshe had until she was 18 so that her bones were fully developed. Even with that operation, it always pained her and she couldn't walk far without a cane. When the prospect of a hip replacement became available she had it done as soon as she could.
After the hip replacement was done and healed, her doctor actually cleared her to take up light jogging. She had to have it done again a few years ago but it was not because of jogging - mechanical parts wear out. To her it was worth it - considering what she had to endure in the early years, she never regretted having that done. She just wishes that it was an option sooner.
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